


In the Kingdom of Permafrost

by Ryntaia



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 22:16:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryntaia/pseuds/Ryntaia
Summary: On the continent of Arendelle existed an entity of snow. Bitter and cold, she controls the will of both the common man and the high royals through the fear of an Eternal Winter. She was the Snow Queen, less woman and more creature in the eyes of those below her. Her heart, they would say, had been frozen by her devilish magic. Unbeknownst to them, however, one who shares the Snow Queen's power walked within their royal court--their very own crown princess.Frozen Canon Divergence AU taking aspects from the original Snow Queen character and from the original concept art of Elsa. See notes for details.





	In the Kingdom of Permafrost

**Author's Note:**

> So I was talking to one of my friends about the roots of the Frozen movie, and the process that caused Elsa to take the leap from antagonist to protagonist. While talking about this I started thinking about what it would be like if Elsa had taken that leap and they had still kept the Snow Queen as an antagonist in the story, as a threat to Arendelle and an example of what Elsa COULD have ended up being if she didn't have the love and care of her family. In the end it sent me into a writing tizzy and I ended up pushing out about 15-16 pages setting up the scenario of 'Elsa versus the Snow Queen'. 
> 
> The Snow Queen described in the story is based mainly on one of the [earliest concept art pieces of Elsa](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8b/0e/9b/8b0e9bd2b27ea784ef2812a1e935c900.jpg), though if I continue this story in any capacity I'd like to include aspects of my [personal favorite design](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/36100000/Elsa-the-Snow-Queen-image-elsa-the-snow-queen-36197340-500-427.jpg). 
> 
> Speaking of continuing: I might work more on this. I did enjoy writing in this sort of 'fairy tale' style and the Snow Queen was delightfully venomous to write. God this level of delightfully evil antagonism is so much fun to write, and I'd like to work characters like Kristoff and Hans into this narrative as well. But I'll admit up front that I'm actually not what one would call the biggest fan of Frozen so who knows what will happen. I just hope you enjoy what I've got so far!

Chapter One

Monarchy Mine

 

 

            The streets that lay beneath the imposing castle were silent. Flurries of snow blew across the frozen stone walkways, devoid of people. A single child peeked out from behind tattered curtains, eyes wide in fear and curiosity. It cast a sliver of golden light down on the darkened streets that disappeared as soon as it came; mother grabbed child and tore them away from the window, blowing out the candle just as thick furred coats dragged across the street aside them. Eyes were wide as they clutched together, mother to son to father to daughter, as the shadowed presence passed by their home.

            The sharp clack of a heel announced a halt. The mother drew in her breath, pulling her children closer to her with her husband’s arms curled around the entire group. A long, thin, manicured finger tapped repetitively against the glass of the window as a seductive chuckle echoed down the streets. It was as if all their blood had collectively turned to ice at that moment, listening to the eerie racket and knowing that nothing would come to stop it.

            The voice of the woman outside, hoarse and cold, was clear and ominous.

            “ _Give me a child and I shall spare you the fate of eternal winter._ ”

            The mother urgently pulled both son and daughter closer to her. As she shivered, her children in her grasp, their father rose to his feet as quietly as he could to reach for the flint and steel sitting innocently atop the counter. The tapping on the window became more and more urgent, the chuckles becoming more and more ominous in the darkness of the harsh winter.

            “ _Give me a child and I shall spare you the fate of eternal winter. Spurn my advance and you will suffer the consequence._ ”

            His hands fumbled with the flint and steel, striking them together desperately within the confines of the oven sitting aside the window. The family behind him had shut their eyes, trying to shut out the chant of the woman standing outside of their window. In the chilled night air, the flame had trouble catching its light within the steel box. But with one final strike it lit up in a fiery glow that lit up the entire room.

            His wife’s shoulder’s relaxed, grip on her children loosening as they crawled over to her father. The din outside their home had disappeared, leaving them only to the warmth of their fire and the comfort of their light. The boy stared absentmindedly at the window that he had once sat; he could only try to make sense of the dark shapes he had seen out on the street as the creature of the storm passed through. He thought absently of pure white mink furs and long white hair that stood out from the visage of the creeping creature.

            “ _You will suffer the consequence._ ”

            The mother of the family screamed as the door blew open, extinguishing the flame in the fire and burying the flint deep under a blanket of snow. There stood the pure white mink furs, fangs barred out, covering a tall and imposing form with long white hair dragging behind in the deep snow. Lips, cherry red, spread into a smirk across a mocking face that stared back at the family with jet black eyes.

            “ _It is only the foolish man who believes that fire will spurn the snow. For that foolishness, for that insolence, you will suffer the consequence._ ”

            The town’s ears all shut to the screams that rang out down the streets of Arendelle, desperate to not be the next on her list.

 

-

            The halls of the Arendelle Palace were lined with dark blue decorations, purple flowers hung in every available spot. Maids and butlers milled up and down the hall hurriedly, carrying stacks of fabric and shimmering wrapping paper back and forth to the furthest room. Following after them as they moved about their business was a pair of giggling little girls, one almost being dragged about by the older child. The help simply laughed jovially at the girls as they expertly dodging the seemingly unpredictable movements born from a child’s enthusiasm.

            “Whatever could you need that wrapping paper for? Is there a celebration coming along? I didn’t hear anything!” The older girl said excitedly, holding up her sister by the armpits. The redhead toddler simply clapped excitedly in response. “Is it my birthday? Is it ANNA’S birthday? Whose birthday is it?”

            “Your highness, I would hope you would know when your own birthday was and it certainly is not today. Nor is Lady Anna’s.” The tall, bulky butler replied with a small smile, dusting his hands off as he headed back to collect more goods. Hoisting Anna onto her shoulders, the older girl followed after the man. Her sister made a face, fingering the braid that kept coming back to thump her in the face. Its platinum blonde color was a stark contrast to her dark blue gown. The staff always said that Elsa had the prettiest hair but it didn’t seem all that pretty when to Anna when it was hitting her in the face.

            “Yes, Kai, I know that. I mean, what’s going on?”

            “Ah, m’lady Elsa, that’s more a matter of adults, you see.” Kai fondly rubbed the girl’s head. Elsa’s bottom lip pushed out slightly in protest, feigning upset and threatening crocodile tears. “Ah, well…we cannot keep secrets from a princess, now can we? That would be very bad.”

            “Absolutely the worst!” Elsa declared proudly.

            “It is a special anniversary for your parents.” The butler explained carefully, strolling down the halls with the girls following after him. “Their marriage is very important to their kingdom, as well as to others. A mighty party will be held later this evening in honor of it—nobles from all throughout the world will be visiting to see this celebration of their love and of their responsibilities as King and Queen. We are tending to the gifts from the nobles, right now.”

            “I din’t know. Elsa!” Anna gasped. “Elsa, we din’t get mummy and daddy a gift for their annie-variety! What’s all the fancy people gonna think?”

            “What ARE all the fancy people going to think, Anna.” Elsa corrected. Her sister nodded sheepishly, thumb finding its way into her mouth out of instinct. “And I guess you’re right…we didn’t even know…”

            “I believe your mother and father will be fine just knowing they have such a pair of thoughtful young women as daughters.” Kai reassured. Both girls looked confused by his eloquence. “Perhaps you should go say hello to them. They’ve been having quite a hectic day meeting up with all the nobles and representatives, not even to mention all the arrangements that they’ve been dealing with. I’m sure they would love to see their princesses.”

            “We their present!” Anna declared. Elsa giggled, hoisting the little girl up on her back further and nodding to their butler. With a burst of giggles the pair took off down the hall, running through the mess of maids and past the elaborate decorations. Laughs rose from the employees that they navigated past and Kai nodded knowingly; the princesses were satisfied. Not much had been gotten done quickly today but at the very least keeping those girls happy would always be a fun and easy task. With that, he turned back to his work, stopping one of the maids to pick through the fabrics she held.

            “Where do you think they are, Anna?” Elsa asked as she skipped into the main ballroom, empty and so clean that they could see their reflections in the ornate designs patterned across the room. Above the middle of the room sat a large portrait of a bearded man, a brunette woman, and two baby girls, all wearing the royal crowns of Arendelle. Elsa couldn’t help but marvel at how the ‘her’ in the painting was twice her size, even though it was when she was still a baby.

            “I bet they in the throne.”

            “I bet you’re right.” Elsa veered off past the portrait and down another hall, leading towards a long carpeted hallway ending in a pair of beautiful silver thrones. Aside each was a smaller throne, one decorated in purples and the other in blues. Anna wasn’t really yet capable of sitting still for a long time but one day, both her and her older sister would sit proudly in them. And eventually, Elsa thought with a jolt of both excitement and fear, she herself would sit upon the large silver throne intended for the Queen and only the Queen.

            Now, though, it was filled by her mother.

            She sat, tall and regal, speaking in hushed tones with a woman in clothing unsuited for a palace. Aside her stood the King, hand on his wife’s shoulder—both had a look of broken regret on their face as they exchanged upset looks. As Elsa drew closer she could hear the broken sobs of the woman in front of them. Suddenly she didn’t feel like she or Anna belonged. Maybe, she thought, maybe she should leave them as they dealt with this.

            Before she could express this to her hyperactive little sister, though, Anna had already slid down her sister’s back and jumped forward to her parents. The redhead was still too young to notice the tense situation; even Elsa, at seven, was barely aware of it. But she knew her place and her place was to one day fill the role of both of her Father and Mother. The training she had been taking place in to do so had made her slightly more aware of uncomfortable situations.

            “Mama, Mama, Kai told me all ‘bout it!” Anna said excitedly, rushing up to climb on her mother’s lap. The Queen looked at her child in surprise, casting a glance back to her older daughter. Elsa smiled awkwardly, straightening her back and trying to glide forward regally as her lessons had taught her. She could be casual when it was just her and Anna, and maybe with a few maids or butlers she knew well—but here in the presence of an obvious citizen, she could not lose the façade of a royal.

            Only now could she get a look at the woman’s face.

            She had a very plain face, but it was streaked with tears and her hair was wild. Her hands wrung together fitfully, eyes flitting between Elsa and Anna almost hatefully. The platinum blonde noticed her mother’s grip on Anna tightening, drawing the redhead closer into her breast and directing her eyes away from the frantic mess in front of them.

            “So as long as you get to keep your husband and children, it’s fine that mine are sacrificed to her malicious will?!” The woman snapped. Elsa’s eyebrows shot up. She had never heard a commoner speak to her parents in such a way. It was unheard of. “She won’t ever come and take your precious princesses or hurt either of you, because YOU let her run wild as she pleases! You two could’ve done any number of things by now but you just sit in your thrones!”

            “Mrs. Lind, I assure you, we do not let this happen because we ENJOY it.” The Queen said sternly, eyebrows knitting into a grimace. “It simply…it is just…”

            “What? It’s simply what? You let her steal a child or kill a man every few months so you won’t raise her IRE? So she won’t bring her Eternal Winter to your doorstep?!” The tattered woman hissed. Elsa stiffened; no wonder her parents were so on edge. Nothing put someone on edge like… _that_ woman. “You FEAR her, so OUR families suffer while you sit up here knowing she will never come to claim you! Not as long as you pretend she doesn’t exist!”

            “Mrs. Lind. You are upsetting my wife. I must demand you leave immediately.” The King said firmly. Almost immediately a pair of guards appeared behind the broken villager. She didn’t as much as flinch, just continued to glare at the King and Queen. “We have done what we can regarding that woman. What would you have us do? Destroy this country for the sake of the few? Or sacrifice the few for the sake of this country? Remember, Mrs. Lind, that we all stand to live another day because of what we allow her to do. And that includes you.”

            “Oh yes, we stand to live. We stand to live yet another day in fear of the evening frost that she brings.” Mrs. Lind hissed as the guards hooked arms under hers. She continued to shout as she was dragged away from the throne; Anna had buried her head into her mother’s bosom and the Queen placed her hands over the ears of her daughter to hide the vitriol from her. “The blood of my husband is on your hands! The blood of my CHILDREN is on your hands!”

            With that, the door slammed. The Queen loosened her grip on her youngest daughter. Anna slid down her lap to sit pensively at her feet, staring ahead. In her eyes Elsa saw a complete lack of comprehension. She didn’t blame her sister for it. It was a secret that was kept from even the eldest sister as long as possible. The King and Queen had not wanted them to know about the haunting legend that stalked the lands of Arendelle. Elsa had only found out by circumstance—ones eerily similar to this scenario.

            “Father,” she said steadily. “Let us grant her lands. Good lands, with good crops, and a good home. Would that be acceptable?”

            “It would not make up for what she lost.” The King said, dipping his head and shaking his head. “…But it is the least we can do.”

            “Is it TRULY the least we can do, Father?”

            For a moment, her eyes met his, and a silent thought was communicated between the two. The Queen looked on silently to her family as her fingers brushed protectively through the red strands of her youngest daughter’s hair. Elsa had learned nobility and regality from her classes but she had also learned to stand her ground—to not back down when she was stared down by another noble. But her Father’s gaze was far more powerful. It was learned from decades of ruling a kingdom, hard from an era of making the hard decisions that lay on the back of a man ruling a cursed land.

            A man with a cursed child.

            “Yes, Elsa. It is.” He was silent for a moment, breaking her gaze to look bleakly down the hall. “Go play outside with your sister. Go…build a snowman, or some such thing.”

            “Yes, Father.” Elsa gathered up her sister onto her shoulder. Anna had fallen silent, her big green eyes travelling in between the other princess and their father. She had learned to not interrupt when Elsa and the King discussed such difficult matters. Both their parents watched silently as the girls trailed silently away. Behind the two the door shut with a deafening slam, as if some unseen wind had pulled upon them and chilled the air of the throne room.

            In the midst of where Elsa’s dress had trailed was a smooth line of untouched ice that crackled up the lines of the fine carved wood.

 

-

 

            “Gif’ him a carrot for a nose!”

            “Okay, okay! Here, right under the cute coal eyes and charming coal smile. Our snowman is a snow GENTLEMAN, after all.” Elsa laughed as she stuck the vegetable into the stacked pile of snow, trying to forget the nausea boiling in her stomach. “There! He’s a snowman masterpiece.”

            “I’mma name him.” Anna said determinedly, face pursed as if naming this snowman was to be her chief achievement in life. “He’s called Olaf.”

            “Olaf? That’s a silly name, Anna!”

            “I think issa GENTLEMAN’S name.” Anna replied, mimicking Elsa’s voice. The blonde stuck her tongue out at the younger girl. The redhead ignored her, tottering over to the snowman on uneasy feet to give it an awkward hug. Her sister doubled over laughing and she frowned. “Don’t laugh at Olaf! Olaf’s a good natured kinda boy. Th’ kinda boy who likes a good sunny day!”

            “He’s made of snow, Anna. Sun wouldn’t be too good for him.” Elsa replied. Her face wore a smile despite her words, looking fondly upon her baby sister. Anna was a sweet girl and she more often than not helped Elsa forget about the always looming duties of a princess that were on her back. Sometimes she thought that she should be envious of how relaxed her sister could be. Yet for some reason, she never was. The baby girl was too calming.

            “He’s a SUPER snowman. Sun won’t hurt him. Can’ya do that?” Anna cocked her head to the side questioningly. Elsa started a bit then looked to the side nervously. Then, with a cautious hand, she waggled a finger; the snow of Olaf hardened into a thick ice shell. “Whoa! That, uh, that means he’s not gonna melt?! Is that whatcha did?!”

            “N-no….but he might be a little more durable now?” Elsa shrugged hopelessly. Anna giggled; with a playful flick of her hand, Elsa circled her sister’s small form with a pattern of ice crystals. As usual, the toddler oohed and aahed at the brilliant snowy show. Within minutes the blonde’s hands were carving through the air to make more brilliant patterns and more astounding displays of flying ice and snow, all for the entertainment of her younger sister. Anna, none the wiser, clapped excitedly.

            This was their family secret, Elsa thought.

            That power that was held by the creature that stalked the snowy nights and stole the children of the commoners was a power she shared. She knew she could never tell anyone and she had hammered it in with Anna that she couldn’t tell anyone either. At first the redhead hadn’t understood but she had eventually relented and kept her sister’s bizarre gift a secret. Only here, in the depths of the royal garden where no one could seen, could Elsa use this dominance over the snow and ice in order to amuse her little sister.

            She didn’t understand her power. Not really. She told herself, over and over, that she understood this command she had over the chill of winter. Yet she knew she didn’t and she knew that deep down, it scared her and it scared those in the palace who knew of it. Why wouldn’t they be afraid of it? She displayed a power that was utilized by a beast that hunted children and killed men with no thought and no effort.

            She had the command over snow that was shared by the Snow Queen.

            Elsa closed her eyes in thought, letting Anna lose herself in play.

            She knew little of the Snow Queen. What she did, came from encounters with people like Mrs. Lind who had lost others to the legend’s unholy grip. This woman who shared her power stalked the corners of Arendelle and took children from their parents, destroying anything in her way before she returned to the deepest mountains of Arendelle—back to the icy mountains of Evighed. No one followed her there. No one dared even go near there.

            And they, the royal family, did nothing about her. They feared the Snow Queen. They believed in her threats—they knew her power to be absolute. If the Arendelle royal family did not allow for her malicious misdeeds then she would bring about her Eternal Winter. Elsa felt her chest tighten. They did nothing and yet they hid, under their royal name, a daughter that carried the same curse of the winter that the Snow Queen did.

            “ _What a beautiful snowman. He is quite the gentleman._ ”

            Elsa’s head snapped up immediately at the lilting voice. It was soft and gentle and yet, at the edge of every word, there was a certain hoarseness. As if the owner of the voice had been violently shouting earlier. It betrayed the lie in the pleasant accent carried in the voice of the intruder of the garden. Then again, she wouldn’t need to hear the voice to make the judgment.

            Arms snapped out and grabbed Anna to pull her sharply back against her sister, glaring at the Snow Queen as she stood before them. The woman just smiled, ruby red lips bright and stunning against flawless pale skin. Her fragile features were framed by swift curls of pure white hair, cascading down her heavy mink coat and blending into the curves and swells of the freshly fallen snow. One arm, looking slim enough to break into shards, extended from the coat to wrap around a simple cane. Scratching across the wooden surface were smooth and long nails fashioned from ice.

            “ _My dearest princess._ ” The Snow Queen said; Elsa could swear that she could detect a hint of sarcasm. She pushed Anna around her waist to hide the redhead behind her back. It elicited a soft laugh from the woman across from her. “ _Please, my dear princess. You need not fear me. I have no need to lay siege upon the children of the royal family at the moment._ ”

            “E’sa, who’s she?” Anna whimpered, clutching at her sister’s furred coat. Elsa narrowed her eyes as she backed away from the Snow Queen. “Wha’s goin’ on…”

            “She’s nobody. Just an intruder.” Elsa said steadily. A thin, manicured eyebrow lifted from dark eyes. “Go inside, Anna.”

            “’Kay, Elsa…”

            “ _I’m a tad bit offended, princess. I come to offer my skills to you and this is how you receive me?_ ” The Snow Queen clicked her tongue, drawing a sign in the snow with her staff. Behind the two girls rose a wall of ice, blocking them off from the exit of the garden. “ _I do mean it when I say I mean you no harm. It benefits me in no way to kill you or take you away. I just am interested in what you can do._ ”

            “You’re here because of my magic?” Elsa narrowed her eyes; around her feet, the snow prickled upwards into spikes of ice surrounding both her and her sister. With a swift flip of her arm the Snow Queen shattered them. “I’m not interested. Leave us alone.”

            “ _Princess, I daresay you are turning down a golden opportunity. One that very well may never come to your hand again.”_ Ruby red lips pursed into an annoyed line as the small wall of spikes desperately tried to regrow themselves; Elsa’s hands shook as she tried to keep eye contact with the Snow Queen and build safety for them at the same time. “ _You may learn many an art behind your gilded cage but it will never teach you what you can do with your gift.”_

            “Like the Eternal Winter?” Elsa snapped. The woman across from her chuckled deeply, tapping icy fingernails against the wood of her cane. The snow seemed to swirl around their feet, as if dancing in their own private battle. Deep within her being, Elsa was terrified. She never expected to behold the Snow Queen. Even when she was playing nice the imposing woman carried an aura of fearsome terror about her.

            “ _The Eternal Winter is only one of the many swords in my arsenal…_ ”

            “I’m not interested.” Elsa snapped. The woman frowned visibly, looking for all the world as if she hadn’t expected this. “Sell your candied lies to someone else. I shan’t buy them.”

            _“I will warn you I have tricks other than the Eternal Winter, crown princess. I can make your life a living hell._ ” She fluffed her mink coat, grinning as if she were a jackal. “ _When you use your powers I shall know, for I have dominion over the winter. Turn down my offer and I shall destroy your life piece by piece, every time you dare to use your magic without accepting my offer. This is the last time I shall extend my hand for you…make a wise choice, child.”_

            “I won’t.” Elsa said firmly. “You can’t scare me. And I don’t think you can hurt me, either.”

            The grin widened to an almost inhuman size.

            _“Perhaps that is true. But there are others that I can hurt.”_

            With a flash, she extended her arm out, a shard flying out past Elsa’s arm. It buried itself deep within Anna’s chest, the little girl screaming out in terror and falling backwards. Her sister’s façade fell completely, turning heel to collapse by her sister and cradle her head. To Elsa’s shock there was no blood; there was not even the shard that she had seen the Snow Queen throw. Just an unconscious little girl with a single strand of white cutting through her auburn locks. Just looking on that white hair sent Elsa’s stomach spinning, barely even reacting as the Snow Queen’s form shadowed the pair of girls.

            Slowly, she looked up to the woman with terrified eyes. The eyes that the creature wished to see.

            “ _I have begun the process of freezing the girl’s heart. Every time you use your powers over ice and snow, it will freeze more. The more you use it…”_ The Snow Queen’s eyes grew darker, more malevolent. “ _...the more the younger princess will die. Either come as my ward and I break the spell on my own....or never use your magic again to ensure her future life. It is your choice, my dearest princess._ ”

            Elsa was silent for a moment, her whole body shaking violently as tears pricked at her eyes. She held her sister to her close. Anna was barely a child, still only a toddler, even a baby sometimes in Elsa’s eyes. She didn’t deserve this. No one deserved to be the bartering chip in the game of the Snow Queen. Yet, Elsa realized, this was why the woman always got what she wanted. Because she knew how to destroy and what to aim that destruction at.

            “I…” Elsa’s voice came out choked and strained. With a loud sniffle, she cleared her throat and tried to wipe her onslaught of tears away. Sobbing was what the beast wanted; to weaken what she saw as a threaten to her reign over the common man. The reign that, Elsa realized, would continue regardless. “I…repent…the use of my powers…and I will never use my magic again. Snow and ice will no longer be my domain.”

            “ _….Disgusting._ ” The woman clucked her tongue, reaching into her coat. From it she withdrew a box; it was thrown onto the snowy ground before the princess. “ _Have it your way, child. The shard will remain and clear your sister’s memory of any encounter she had with your abilities. Within the box in something that may help you. When you tire of this childish charade, I will be back._ ”

            With that, the Snow Queen seemed to melt into the icy wind around her. Elsa and Anna were alone in the garden, the walls of ice around them melting into nothing as the girl clutched at her redhead baby sister. Anna moaned slightly, pushing her head into Elsa’s arm. Her older sister hugged her comfortingly—then drew back. Who knew. Maybe being close to Elsa alone would trigger Anna’s heart to freeze further. But it was better they be separate than the beast having access to even more power.

            Hesitantly, Elsa reached out and undid the tie on the box thrown at her by the Snow Queen.

            A pair of gloves.

 


End file.
